Improvement in hide-fleshing machines



E. HOLOOMB &- 1). AQOLAY. Hide-Flashing Machine,

No. 198.941. Patented Jan. 8,1878.

N, PETERS. FHOTO-LI'YHQGRAPNER, WASHINGTON. DY C- EDGAR- B. HoL'coMB AND now A. CLAY, onronr LEYnEmNEwYORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN HIDE-FLESHI'NG MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 198,941, dated January 8, 1878 application filed 3 April 9, .1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known' that Jwe, ED AR B. HoLcoMB and Dow A; GLAY,both residents ofthe village of Port Leyden, in the county of Lewis and State of New York, have invented a'new and useful Improvementin Machines for'Fleshing Hides, in preparing the same for the process of tanning.

.Our invention is fully-set forth in-the followingspec'ification, and represented in the accompanying drawing s,'making part of this,

our specification.

Figure 1 is a vertical planview of the machine entire. -'Fig.'2 is a section of the exten of the sleeves through which the second shaft- Gr revolves, thesleeve itself forming the bearing upon which the second frame E rotates. Fig. 4 is an under-side plan view of the cutterhead, showing the arrangements of the cutterknives and throats. I

Similar letters represent similar parts.

A vertical shaft, upon which the pulley O is made secure in the frame A A, receives power and motion through the coupling at the top. Upon this vertical shaft is hung the frame 1), allowing of a rotation in a horizontal plane about the shaft as a center and bearing. The opposite end of the frame D is forked, and each of the parts carries a vertical sleeve, H, secured in the same, and which extends inward, and the two are made to form the bearing or support for the frame E, the forked inner end of which has boxes encircling the sleeves H H, and upon which the frame E has a limited horizontal rotation or swinging motion. Passing through the sleeves H H, which act as boxes for the same, is a vertical shaft, G, and to which is secured the small pulley F at the center, and the larger pulleyI at the top.

It will thus be seen that the horizontal swinging of the frame E is entirely independent of any strain or direct frictional bearing upon the shaft Gr.

The shaft J is allowed a little vertical leeway in its bearings in the boxes in the outer ends of the frame E, the weight of the shaft being supported by pins in opposite sides of the box K engagingin a grooveturned in the shaft J. The'box K- is encircled by a ring in the'lever T, and supported bya second set of pins, so connecting the box and ring as to constitute a sort of gimbal'joint. The inner end of the lever T is connected bya hinge joint with a stud' on the frameE between the arms, and has aspring, L, upon its under side,extending from the ring to the upper surface of the lower outer arm of the frame E, the, spring L having sufficient strength to sustain the weight of the'lever T and the v shaft J withit's attachments. The lower end of J "has a screw-threaded tenon upon it, to which is attached the screwcoupling N, 7 P is aheavyhead or diskof metal, attached tothelo'werend of J by means of the extension M and'ithe' ball-andsocket joint at S. The piece M passes up. through a suitable opening onthe under side of the head ]P,'and

is firmly secured in the'coupling N, the opening beneath being .fitted with a screw-plug,

the top of which forms'a part 'of the socket of the articulation. The upper side of 1?, around the extension M, is enlarged sufficiently to permit of a slight vertical rotation or rocking of the head at this joint. Encircling the coupling N is aloose sleeve, 0, having vertical openings, which slip down over corresponding projections upon the coupling N, and also allow the sleeve to engage with corresponding lugs upon the upper surface of the head P, and through which the rotary motion of J is imparted to the head.

The head P has two or more openings or throats, running either radially from the balland-socket joint at the center, or tangential to the circular opening S 5 or these may be cut spirally from the center opening out to the circumference of the head. These throats are cut at a bevel to the under surface of the head, and one of the faces of each opening is tapped to receive screws, by which suitable blades R R are secured in position.

B is the table, so arranged that when the apparatus is at its normal position, the head 1? may be swung about an inch or so above the top surface of the same. This table may be so supported from the floor as to be accessible at all sides.

So far as we know, the difficult task of removing the superfluous fleshy portions with which all hides, as found in the market, are more or less encumbered has been confined or limited to. hand labor, all attempts heretofore to accomplish the same by the aid of machinery having proved ineffectual and abortive; but in the machine above described we think we have been enabled to meet and overcome very many, if not most, of the difficulties presented in the operation of fieshing hides by machinery.

The operation of our invention is this: Mo-

tion being imparted to the driving-shaft with the pulley O, the same is conveyed by belt to pulley F, which, in turn, gives motion .to the shaft G, with its larger pulley I. This motion is duly conveyed to the shaft J, and thus,- through the coupling and sleeve 0, engaging the lugs, to the head P, the latter revolving with a rapid motion over the bed B. The arrangement of the frames D and E at their articulation H H and upon the vertical shaft G allows all needed latitude for horizontal ch an go of position of the shaft J and head P, while retaining unchanging perpendicularity for the motion of the shaft J, the motion of which and its relative position is controlled by means of the box K, lever T, and spring L.

Let a green or wet hide be spread upon the table B, with the grain (or hair) side down. The rapidly-revolving shaft J, with its head of knives P R, is swung over the same, and the lever T depressed sufficiently to bring the lower, side of the head upon the hide. The

action of the rapidly-revolving knives has the effect, from their shearing cut, to speedily remove all loose or fleshy portions from the upper side of the hide, and leave the same I clean and evenly trimmed and ready for tannin g.

to adapt itself to any varying thickness of. the.

the hide or unevenness of surface of same.

We disclaim any novelty in the general arrangement of the two frames D and E, as essentiallythe same are found in the subjectmatter of a patent, No. 103,463, issued to Chas.

and F. E. Holmes, of Boston, on May24, 1870.

What we claim as novel, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination with the frames D and E, the boxes or sleeves H H, within which the shaft G revolves, all substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination, with the frame E, of the lever T, collar K, shaft J, and supportingspring L,'substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, with the vertical shaft J, of the cutter-head P, with its knives or scrapers arranged radially, tangentially, or spirally from the central opening to the periphery, the head P being connected to the lower end of the shaft J by a ball-and-socket joint, and provided with. a screw-coupling and sleeve-clutch, all substantially as and for the purpose stated.

EDGAR B. HOLOOMB. DOW A. CLAY.

Witnesses:

. J. 0. Emma, ,0. D. WILooX. 

